Reunited
by In the Fob Watch
Summary: What would have happened, if, when Rose finally found the Doctor, the Dalek appeared just a couple of minutes later?
1. Chapter 1

"Why don't you ask her yourself?" Donna asked, a smile slowly spreading on her face as she looked over the Doctor's shoulder.

He turned his head and saw the one thing he thought he'd never see again. His expression changed from the sheer panic of moments ago into a nervous smile, and then to a positively ecstatic grin.

And then he was running, and she was too. His trusty Converses hurled him towards her, her pace was slightly slowed by the massive gun she was carrying. Normally, the Doctor didn't like guns, but the world was more dangerous than ever, and if she was keeping herself safe, then good.

As they got closer, she slowed and tossed the gun behind her back, before launching herself at the Doctor. He caught her midair and she clung on, wrapping her legs around his waist like a monkey, never letting go.

For a few seconds they stayed like that, her burying her face in his neck, him burying his in her hair, both breathing in a scent that they had missed so sorely. They then lifted their heads to look at each others' faces, their noses just inches apart.

"Hello," grinned the Doctor.

"Hello," she said, bringing up memories of the Doctor's first trip in his tenth body.

"Oh my Rose," he smiled, "you always come back". With that, he leaned down, touching his lips to Rose's. She closed her eyes, leaning in, kissing the Doctor back. Their contact grew more fevered as the Doctor ran his tongue along Rose's teeth, seeking entrance. She obliged, desperate for her Time Lord, as they hungrily explored each other's mouths. Gasping for air, neither could quench the fire that seemed to ripple across their skin where it made contact. The Doctor, deciding that he should have let this happen long ago, began to move with Rose towards the TARDIS, knowing that neither of them would want to stop until they were both satisfied. Rose realised what he was trying to do, and unhooked her legs from his waist, her lips never leaving his. They both started blindly stumbling towards the TARDIS, when...

**BANG!**

Rose sprung backwards, scrambling for her alien gun, while the Doctor spun around. There, in the side street stood the smouldering wreck of what use to be a Dalek. Regaining her feet, Rose pointed her gun over the Dalek casing, while the Doctor cleared away the smoke with the sonic. Donna reached them, out of breath, as they were greeted by a familiar American accent.

"Some hello. I just saved your skinny little arses while you were too busy snogging to notice that you were about to die, and all I get in return is a gun pointed at me?" Jack complained. Then he noticed who it was. "Doctor? Where the hell have you been?" he demanded.

"Oh... Right. The earth is in danger, isn't it," realised the Doctor. "Sorry, I've been a little bit preoccupied," he said, grabbing Rose's hand and turning his head to wink at her.

"Rose?" Jack asked, startled.

"Hiya captain" Rose replied, poking her tongue between her teeth. The Doctor growled, and pulled her in to his chest, glaring at Jack.

"Whoa, no need to get jealous," Jack retorted. "Can't I say hello?"

"You can say hello to me," piped up Donna.

"Not now, Donna," the Doctor sighed.

"You're one to talk," she muttered, causing Rose to chuckle

_**AN: There will be a chapter 2 **____** . Oh, and please leave comments, no matter how short, I want to know what you think**_


	2. Chapter 2

The four of them moved back towards the TARDIS, the Doctor and Rose with their arms snaked around each other's waists at the front, Jack and a very flirty Donna behind. Just before they got to the TARDIS, the Doctor stopped and grinned at Rose.

"Check it out," he said, raising his free hand to click.

"Woah, stop right there Doctor," said Rose, slightly worried. "If you've gone and got one of those stupid holes in your head like Adam, I really don't want to see it."

The Doctor looked put out. "Just because I'm good looking," he said with a wink, "doesn't mean I'd go and do something stupid like that so called 'genius' that you liked."

"You are so full of it!" laughed Rose. "Anyway, what were you going to show me?"

"Oh, just a little trick I learnt in a library," said the Doctor. He then raised his hand, and clicked.

As the TARDIS doors swung open, Rose gasped. The Doctor took advantage of her shock to sweep her up in his arms and carry her in.

"Welcome home," he said, as he carried her over the thresh hold into the TARDIS.

"Aren't you supposed to do that for brides?" she asked, grinning up at the Doctor as he placed a kiss on her head and set her on her feet.

"Well..." he said, rubbing the back of his neck, "I'd better remember that then."

Before Rose had a chance to respond, the Doctor had bounded off to the TARDIS doors. "Come on, you two, haven't got all day!" he yelled at Donna and Jack, who were taking their time. "The Daleks will find us if you two don't stop flirting."

Donna and Jack ran through the door as the Doctor dashed around the console. He jumped around like Tigger on red cordial, flicking switches with an enthusiasm not seen since before Canary Warf. He ran to the other side of the console to flick the temporal stabiliser, only to find that Rose had got there first.

"Got it," she said, grinning. The Doctor's face lit up as Rose flicked the switch, her tongue poking out at him.

He bounced over and pulled the leaver, sending the TARDIS in to flight with a massive "Allons-y!"

Rose laughed. "You still say that?" she said.

"Oh yes!"

"He never really shuts up about it," piped up Donna, who had been leaning against the railing with Jack, watching the reunited couple with an amused expression.

The Doctor flung his head around with a startled expression, having forgotten that there were others on the TARDIS. Rose saw his expression and burst out laughing, recalling the time he forgot that Mickey had been holding down a button for half an hour.

"Yeah, we're still here," drawled Jack. "Got a plan?"

"Hmm... Daleks. Should be able to get a better view, hold on." He fiddled with some dials went over to the display, pulling out the brainy specs before taking a closer look at the screen.

"That's a lotta ships." noted Donna, peering over his shoulder.

"Hold on, what's that?" Rose asked, pointing to a flashing point on one of the ships at the centre.

The Doctor zoomed in. "Seems to be some sort of signal, that controls the whole lot,' said Jack.

"The Dalek Crucible!" cried the Doctor. "I've heard of these, they're like the mother ship of the Dalek fleet. Everything that the Daleks do is controlled from there!"

Rose caught on quickly. "So if we want to stop the Daleks..."

"...we have to get to the controls!" finished the Doctor. Jack chuckled at how easily the Doctor and Rose slipped back into their old ways, finishing each other's sentences.

"So hold on a minute..." said Donna. "There are these really dangerous things called Daleks, who want to kill you, and you want to fly directly in to the heart of their operation?"

"Yup," replied the Doctor.

"Pretty much" agreed Rose.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" yelled Jack, cocking his gun.

"You're mad, the lot of you," said Donna.

The Doctor replied with a manic grin before flicking a switch on the console, sending the TARDIS into the heart of the Dalek crucible.


	3. Chapter 3

The TARDIS groaned and shuddered, resisting against the idea of landing in the heart of a Dalek spaceship. Tossing the occupants from side to side, the blue box landed, laving the dishevelled occupants to gather themselves to face the Doctor's greatest enemy. Rose had been tossed on top of the Doctor, who held her close a few seconds longer than necessary to ensure her safety. Jack sprung to his feet and helped Donna up, while signalling for the furiously giggling Doctor and Rose to be silent.

Loading his gun, Jack inched open the TARDIS door, before slipping out in to the empty corridor. The Doctor followed, curious as to where they had landed. When he got to the door, however he glanced anxiously at Rose, who was following behind Donna. Rose was oblivious to it, but Donna was not.

"Stay in the TARDIS," she whispered to Rose.

"What? Why? I want to be with the Doctor." Rose replied.

Donna pulled her aside as the Doctor and Jack peered around the end of the corridor. "Because," she hissed, "I saw what he was like just after he lost you. I never want to see him like that again."

"But..." Rose started."

"No. Believe me, he was nearly mad with grief last time. He's only just got you back, it would destroy him to lose you again. I'll make excuses, and you stay in the TARDIS, safe."

"Are you sure?'

"Trust me on this."

Rose sighed and nodded, before slipping back into the TARDIS and shutting the door. Donna ran back up to the Doctor and Jack, who were trying to decide which corridor to try first.

"Where's Rose?" asked the Doctor,

"Oh, you know, had to pop to the loo," breezed Donna.

"What, now?"

Donna nodded vigorously.

"Okay, if you say so." replied the Doctor. He had an inkling of what had actually happened, but was happy to leave it at that if it meant that Rose stayed safe.

"Doctor," said Jack, "we've got company!"

Sure enough, a Dalek was rolling down the corridor towards them. Jack jumped out and shot it to pieces before it could even begin to shout EXTERMINATE.

"There'll be more on their way," warned Jack.

"Oh, nah," said Donna sarcastically. "That Dalek blowing up was only loud enough to wake up half of London, I'm sure none of the other Daleks would have noticed."

The three of them huddled together with Jack at the front as an undying human shield, his blaster at the ready. Donna clung on to the Doctor, terrified, while the Doctor peered around Jack at the oncoming terrors.

Sure enough, cries of "EXTERMINATE! EXTERMINATE!" echoed through the corridors. The Daleks rolled out in battle formation, pointing their rays at the three time travellers, about to fire. Just when things looked like they couldn't get any worse, there was a whooshing sound behind the them.

The TARDIS was disappearing.


	4. Chapter 4

"Rose!" the Doctor shouted, turning towards his disappearing home. He ran up to up, about to jump at the fading doors, when a familiar chilling voice stopped him in his tracks.

"Doctor," Davros' rasping voice greeted.

"What have you done to her?" the Doctor demanded, his had gesturing towards where Rose and the TARDIS had been.

"That was not my doing, although I am quite sure that you will never see your box or your lover girl again!" Davros spat.

The Doctor just gaped at the place where the TARDIS had stood, his newly repaired heart shattered.

"Lover boy is lost for words!" shouted Davros with glee. "Compassion was always your weakness, Doctor, but you have reached a new level of vulnerability."

Jack cocked his gun at Davros. "Oi, three eye! Only bastards pick on a heartbroken man! And you know what I say to that?" he went to pull the trigger, but Davros got in earlier.

"Kill him," he commanded, pointing at Jack. Cries of EXTERMINATE rang through the hall, and three blue bolts hit Jack, knocking him to the ground.

"Jack!" yelled Donna, running to his side. She knelt down and tried to check for a pulse, but the Doctor gently pulled her away.

"Leave him," he whispered, his face stone.

"Oh no you don't spaceman!" Donna broke free and tried to find a pulse. After half a minute of trying, however, she broke down. "No," she whispered, her feisty exterior broken. "Jack! Jack! He's... He's dead!" That was all she could say before the Doctor gently pulled her away into a hug.

Davros cackled. "The prophesy is correct!"

"What prophesy? Who predicted this?" asked the Doctor, worried. Prophesies to do with him tended to be pretty unpleasant.

"This way," Davros pointed down the hall.

"Come on," sighed the Doctor to Donna.

"But... Jack. What about him?" she sniffed.

"There's nothing we can do," he said, guiding her away down the corridor. As he walked out the door, however, he glanced over his shoulder, to receive Jack's wink.

They entered a large round room, so poorly lit that many of the corners of the room were cloaked in darkness. The Doctor knew that anything could be hiding there.

"So come on, where's this Dalek fortune teller that I've been promised?" he asked, annoyed. He was getting more and more frustrated by the minute, being separate from Rose and his TARDIS.

"A familiar face to you, no doubt, Doctor," said Davros, before flicking a switch on his lap. A light switched on illuminating a corner of the large room. In that corner, facing away from them, was the silhouette of a man.

The man spun around. "Hello again," he grinned.

"Sorry, I don't think I know you yet, time travel being what it is," said the Doctor. "Sorry Davros, but this isn't a familiar face to me, so if you were planning on using him against me, well, I think your plan just went a little bit wrong."

"Don't worry, I remember you," said the man.

"Yes," said Davros, "and I didn't mean that it would be a familiar face to you, in your pinstripe suit. No, I meant a familiar face to him," he said, nodding towards the man in the corner.

"Hello!" the man said, straightening his bowtie. "I'm the Doctor. The next one. Eleventh, that's me!"


	5. Chapter 5

_Meanwhile on the TARDIS_...

"Take me back!" Rose yelled, banging her fists on the locked doors as the TARDIS went into flight. She had no idea why it was doing this: Donna had been the one to convince her to stay in the TARDIS, so it wasn't a plan of the Doctor's. She hadn't touched any of the switches on the console, she had just been wondering around the TARDIS corridors, reacquainting herself with everything that was the same, and taking in what little had changed. Now, it seemed, the TARDIS was determined to separate her from the man she had only just got back.

Rose wasn't going down without a fight this time. During her time with the tenth Doctor, he had taught her a bit about flying the TARDIS. Dashing around the console, she tripped over a bulky jar containing a hand. Picking herself up, she ran over to the console screen and started typing madly on the keyboard, trying to find out what was happening. Her efforts were in vain, however, as the only figures on the screen were in Gallifreyan.

She swore, and aimed a frustrated kick at the underside of the console, slightly harder than she meant to. A crack appeared from where her foot made contact, running up until a hairline fissure ran all the way to the central columns of the console room. Rose bent in close to inspect the damage, when the TARDIS shuddered and the crack widened. A slither of golden light was thrown out.

Rose scrambled backwards away from the glowing crack. She knew that the light could help her, but she also knew the consequences, and she didn't want the Doctor to regenerate when she had only just found him. The thing was, she couldn't think of anything else that she could do. She had heard the Daleks, she knew that the Doctor wasn't safe. She also knew - from the fractures in the timelines that they had been scanning in the Torchwood back on Pete's world - that anything could happen, and that the Doctor's death was a very real possibility.

As the TARDIS continued to fly uncontrolled, Rose made a decision. She reached forwards, her shaking hand moving towards the light when an almighty explosion came from the console, and the whole room rocked. Rose was thrown backwards, away from the light, as the jar with the hand in it toppled over, and rolling towards her from the other side of the room.

It rolled faster and faster, the heavy object gaining speed. Rose raised her arm to shield herself against the inevitable collision. Oddly enough, though, the sound of the jar rolling against the floor had stopped. She looked up, unsure what had happened, when the most impossible sight met her eyes.

"...it's you!" said Rose, flabbergasted.

"Oh yes!" beamed the Doctor.

"You're nak- Wow." Rose couldn't help but let her eyes wonder.

"Oh yes!" he winked.

_**AN: Don't worry, it doesn't end the same way as the episode :)**_


	6. Chapter 6

Rose leant against the console, staring at the crack of light still pouring out of the console. He mind drifted, and she wondered what would have happened if she had touched the light and turned Bad Wolf again. After a few minutes of pondering what could have been, however, she started tapping her foot impatiently. The Doctor had dashed off to the TARDIS wardrobe to pop something on. Secretly, Rose was a bit annoyed; she had absolutely no problems with a stark naked Doctor being alone with her, but she knew that there were much more urgent matters at hand.

"What do you think?" asked the Doctor, strutting up to Rose as though he was on a catwalk, before doing a twirl.

"Blue... Hmm, not bad, but I preferred your last outfit," she teased.

"What, you mean the leather jacket, or those jim-jams that your mum had?"

"Huh?" asked Rose, confused.

"Oh... I'm missing a whole heap of memories," realised the Doctor. "The last thing I remember was a swordfight on a spaceship above London, and then there was pain, and I was falling..."

"Yeah, you grew from the hand that was chopped off. I have no idea how that happened, mind you."

"Basic stuff," said the Doctor. "The time vortex gave me enough energy to grow, and took the DNA from the hand, so basically I'm a perfect replica. Except without the memories..." the Doctor grew very still, his eye unfocused.

"Doctor?" Rose asked, worried. She waved her hand in front of his face to no avail, and was starting to panic when the Doctor snapped out of it.

"Woah, sorry about that," he said, suddenly alert. "The TARDIS had been sneakily storing my - other me's - memories for some reason. She just filled me in on what happened." He looked at Rose in sudden disbelief. "You were gone. I lost you, forever separated. And yet you're back." His face lit up, as he swept her up into a massive hug.

"Back for good, I hope," said Rose, inhaling the scent that could only be described as 'Doctor'.

The Doctor grinned and placed a kiss on top of her head, before pulling away. Rose sighed at the loss of contact, and the Doctor chuckled. "Still got to save the world, remember."

"Oh yeah, that..." suddenly Rose grew worried. "There were Daleks out to kill them. What if something's happened by now?"

"Right, we should get a move on. I've got a bit of a plan, and I'm hoping it works," said the Doctor, turning his back on Rose to flick a few switches. "Now, where did I put it..."He ducked under the console, lifting up a grate in the floor to reveal a storage compartment. He started rummaging through it, throwing gizmos and widgets in every direction.

Rose took a couple of steps backwards to give him some space, when she felt a warm glow hit the back of one of her ankles. She swore under her breath, but the Doctor, who was making a loud clatter as he pulled another piece of the floor up, did not hear her. Nor did he see her body go rigid as the golden light filler her mind and swirled in pools in her eyes. He didn't hear her gasp, either, as she gained full control of the energy and pushed it beneath the surface.

So when the Doctor turned around in victory, having found the right contraption, all that he saw was the ordinary human Rose Tyler. He didn't realise that underneath the soft, pink flesh lurked the most powerful entity in all of time: the Bad Wolf.

_**Author's Note: Okay, so I know it's starting to look predictable, the same as a lot of other fanfics, but believe me, it won't be. I've learnt from Moffat, so brace yourself for a whole heap of plot twists :). Also a HUGE THANKYOU for reading this, I honestly started it as a oneshot because I was bored on a train, but because you keep reading, I keep writing :)**_


	7. Chapter 7

The Doctor showed Rose the genetic destruction device that he had created, instructing her how to put it on Davros in case something went wrong. Operating the device was simple: just flick the safety lock off and pull the trigger when contact was established. It was a piece of cake compared to flying the TARDIS or building a dimension canon, so the Doctor was confident in Rose's ability to carry out the task if worst came to worst.

It was fascinating stuff, too, and Rose was usually an excellent student. So excellent, in fact, that the Doctor didn't bother to check if she was following or paying attention. He didn't realise that it was almost impossible for her to try to comprehend anything at the moment, as she struggled against the internal Bad Wolf. It took all her willpower and energy to keep it at bay. So when the Doctor asked her if she was ready, only the simplest of answers was possible.

"Yep," she said automatically, without processing what was happening. The Doctor set the TARDIS into flight, landing it in the heart of the Dalek control room, where he hoped Davros would be.

He ran to the door, Rose's feet guiding her after him. With an "Allons-y", the Doctor threw open the door and sprinted towards Davros.

The world felt like it was moving in slow motion. The Doctor could hear himself - his original self - screaming for him to stop. He could see the reactions of his friends as the colour drained from their faces, Donna clutching Jack's wrist, and the recently arrived Mickey, Jackie, Sarah-Jane, and Martha watching on in horror. A man in a bowtie watched grimly, but did nothing to interfere.

The Doctor's feet barely touched the ground as he ran at Davros. He was close, so close, all his attention now focused on the evil mastermind before him. Davros was turning, but he was too late to get out of the way. The Doctor was hurtling towards him, only a few strides away, when...

**WHAM!**

He was thrown to the side, the genetic device slipping from his hands and spinning on the floor a few metres from where he lay. The Doctor, however, was lucky to be alive, as a Dalek had shot right where he would have run. His saviour, on the other hand, was not so fortunate.

There, dead on the ground, lay a young woman in her early twenties. Her dark brown hair splayed out around her pale face, her eyes still echoing her final feelings of desperation and determination. She seemed strangely familiar to the Doctor, but he couldn't remember where from. All that he knew was that her final act had been to save him.

Meanwhile, Rose had exited the TARDIS after the Doctor, but did not go after the genetic device to finish the Doctor's mission. Instead, in her daze, she stumbled towards the Doctor as he went to get up off the floor, accidently tripping over the dead girl's hand in the process. The Doctor leapt across and caught her just before she hit the ground. As he cradled her in his arms, he noticed that in the dead girl's hand was a crumpled piece of paper. As he helped Rose to her feet, he covertly slipped the piece of paper in his pocket.

He sighed as he heard heard unsurprising blast of a Dalek ray destroying his only plan, and turned to see a the smouldering wreck of a genetic device. Wracking his brains for a plan, he shepherded Rose over to the others, where Jackie engulfed her in a protective hug. The other Doctor - the original one - leaped past the others to join Jackie in fussing over Rose. Everyone else just gaped at the new Doctor.

"You're there," said Donna, pointing at the new Doctor, "and there," she pointed at the original, "and that fellow in the bowtie says he's you as well. How the hell are there three of you?"

"Yeah, Doctor," said Jack. "Shouldn't there be some sort of massive paradox destroying the universe right now?"

"Something's holding the paradox in place, I can feel it," said the new Doctor, shuddering. The bowtie Doctor also looked uncomfortable, but the original Doctor was too busy helping Jackie with Rose, who was only semiconscious.

Davros cackled. "It is as was foretold," he shouted with glee. "The impossible meeting at the first grave of the impossible girl. You did well not to lie to us," he addressed the bowtie Doctor.

"I didn't have a choice, now, did I?" he replied, his distaste evident. "Besides, I couldn't save her, I already saw it happen."

"What do you mean, you saw it happen? Who are you?" asked the new Doctor.

"He's the next you, or something like that," filled in Mickey.

"Never mind that," Martha interrupted. "The girl, the one who saved you, who is she?"

"I don't know, she seems familiar," said the new Doctor. "Thing is, my memories are a bit disorganised at the moment, the TARDIS just shoved a whole heap in my brain, and I only grew out of a hand a few minutes ago - long story - but anyway, I can't quite figure out where I know her from."

At this, the original Doctor looked up and gasped. "It can't be..."

"Wha..?" asked a drowsy Rose, unsettled by the way the Doctor had frozen.

"But that's impossible! She was on Gallifrey, she can't be here!"

"Oh..." said the new Doctor, catching on. "Of course, at the TARDIS repair shop..."

"...she told me to take this TARDIS, instead of another," finished the original.

"The impossible girl left a message," reminded bowtie Doctor, nodding towards the new Doctor.

"Oh yes," the new Doctor remembered, pulling the crumpled up piece of paper from his pocket. On it was a short sentence, only six words long:

_Run you clever boy, and remember._

**_Author's Note: Hi guys, I know this chapter is quite long, I hope you don't mind. Yes, I know, my writing wasn't quite up to scratch, I wrote this at midnight after realising that I've left you hanging for far too long. I mean, I know I said I'd do a Moffat, but I didn't mean by making you wait for ages._**

**_I hope you like what I've done so far. This was supposed to be oly a one-shot, but now I've gone a bit 50th Anniversary mad and I'm introducing far too many characters... But anyway, I hope you like it. Thanks for following my story, and remember that every author loves reviews, me included :)_**


	8. Chapter 8

"Run you clever boy, and remember?" Martha repeated. "What on earth does that mean?"

"Never mind that, we've got to get on with the business of saving the universe from the Daleks!" the new Doctor interrupted.

Everyone looked at him sadly, however, and Donna quietly shook her head. "We're trapped, there's nothing we can do," she informed him.

"But we must be able to, we've got the TARDIS, it's just over here..." the new Doctor backed towards the TARDIS, but found himself suddenly stopped as he hit a force field mid air.

Davros could hardly contain himself. "The great and powerful Doctor, the Oncoming Storm, is defeated!" he pointed and cackled. "Even with three of you, you are still powerless! Watch as we take our revenge, and build the supreme Dalek empire you have tried so hard to prevent in the past."

The new and the original Doctor both looked at each other, knowing that Davros was right: they were powerless.

"Come, Daleks, we can leave this lot here. The Doctor's sonic is no use to him now, the pitiful humans ad Time Lords can stay. We, meanwhile, should report to the heart of the Crucible, where we can watch our empire of destruction grow!" With that, Davros and the Daleks present rolled out of the room, leaving the Doctors and his companions alone.

A screen flickered up on the wall with numbers on it.

_15:00_

"Good of Davros to let us know how long we have until we die" said Jack.

"You can talk, Mr Immortal," said Martha.

"Oh don't be daft, nobody's immortal," Jackie reproached.

"Yeah, well not everybody can be me. Captain Jack Harkness." he flirted, extending a hand.

"Oh yeah, the American one... Rose did tell me about you," Jackie said.

"Oh really? And did her description do me justice?"

"No, you're far more arrogant, not as 'brilliantly dashing', and clearly more interested in Mickey or the Doctor than someone like Rose or this lovely girl here - sorry sweetheart I'm terrible with names." This last part was addressed to Martha, who was trying to hold in her laughter.

Jack harrumphed and withdrew his hand. "Great, I'm stuck, about to die and potentially not come back, and I'm no longer attractive. This isn't my day."

"Oi, you two, priorities! Rose is barely conscious, and what are we going to do about that thing?" asked Donna, nodding to the countdown. "Don't exactly have long to live, now do we? Nor does the rest of the universe, for that matter."

_14:00_

"Don't worry, our lives won't end when the countdown stops, we're on a Dalek ship, we should be safe," said the original Doctor. "Well... Safe until they decide that they've had their fun, and come to exterminate us..."

"Very reassuring, thanks," Mickey sarcastically replied.

Sarah-Jane sighed. "I just wish – I mean, I know how insignificant a worry it is compared with the impending destruction of reality – but I just wish we weren't trapped. I know we'll live longer here, and if I could do anything at all to stop the Daleks then I would, but seeing as I can't, I'd rather be down on Earth with Luke. I'm sorry, it's awfully selfish of me, I know you'd probably all rather be somewhere else, but _he's only fourteen_!"

Jack looked slightly sheepish, before ripping his teleport off his wrist. "Here," he said, offering it to Sarah-Jane. "The Daleks forgot to do anything about these. Go on, it should take you where you want to go. Everyone needs someone to hold their hand when the world is ending, particularly kids."

Her sad smile conveyed her thanks and her despair as she took the teleport, and then she was gone.

_13:00_

_**Author's Note: My most HUMONGOUS apologies for not posting in such a long time. I still love this story (and of course your reviews), it's just that I'm currently in my final year of school, and the pressure is really building up, so I'm afraid I haven't had much time to write. You've probably already heard this from me if you're reading my other story "Blind Trust", but your reviews and follows really keep me motivated, and often remind me that I haven't been the most dedicated author. Sorry if this writing is a bit confusing, I didn't realise how difficult it would be to write a paradox with three Doctors in the room until I chose to turn the story in this direction. Also, if this chapter seems a bit unfinished, it's because I initially wrote this as part of a massively long chapter, and I couldn't find a way to break it up for a while. I'll post the other part soon, I've just written it while dead tired (you can probably tell by how crappy my writing of this author's note is), so I need to read over it again to make sure that it works. Don't worry though, it sounds depressing now, but it will get better soon!**_

_**Also, just a heads up, I'll probably kill off a character soon. It won't be in the next chapter, so I've still got some time to figure out whether you guys will hate me for doing it, but if you really don't think that you can cope with a character death then please inbox me telling me who I cannot kill off under any conditions whatsoever. From the first chapter, you should be able to tell who my favourite characters are, and don't worry, I won't be killing any of them off, but I will be killing off one of the less popular characters unless you guys really can't cope. Then again, I might decide not to, I like the character on paper much better than I like them on screen. Might have something to do with the acting... but that's a whole different rant.**_

_**PS: Sorry for the angst. I promise it will get better (eventually)!**_


	9. Chapter 9

It was silent for a moment, as everybody watched the seconds tick away, and mourned the fact that Sarah-Jane would never be seen by any of them again.

"Anybody else got somewhere nicer that they can get to?" asked the new Doctor, trying to make conversation.

A blip came from Rose's pocket, then one from Jackie's and one from Mickey's. Jackie pulled out her dimension jumper. "It's fully charged," she commented.

"You can get back," whispered the original Doctor to Rose, who was cradled in his arms.

"Not without you," she replied, her hoarse voice barely more than a murmur.

Jackie tossed her dimension jumper to the original Doctor, who nimbly caught it. "She's been searching for you for so long, she needs you," she said.

"Is there any point to that though? Davros said something about the reality bomb crossing the void, won't that mean that your universe will also be stuffed?" Jack asked.

"I can do something about that," revealed Martha, not meeting anyone's eyes.

Everyone stared at her.

"I've still got the teleport," she conceded, "and if I'm right, the Osterhagen Key will still be in the base in Germany. I can save reality, but at a price." She looked up, her eyes shining with tears.

"And that price is the earth," the new Doctor mused to nobody in particular.

There was a depressed silence as everyone contemplated the distasteful decision. Donna was the first to admit to the grim reality of it.

"We don't really have a choice, do we? I mean, all those other worlds out there, they could have a chance if you use the Oster-thingy. Parallel earths, like where Rose was living, will survive!" Her eyes were glimmering with both her hope for the rest of the universe, and the impending doom that her home world faced. "Either way, this earth isn't going to be here in a few minutes. I don't think it should be lost in vain."

_12:00_

"Doctor, take Rose back to Pete's world," Mickey commanded the original Time Lord, throwing his Torchwood leadership training into effect. "You too, Jackie," he said, tossing his dimension jumper to her.

Jackie fumbled with the catch, before looking up at Mickey with a mixture of thankfulness and regret. "What about your lot?" she asked.

"Tell 'em I love 'em," he choked out, his soldier's facade slipping away.

"But they need you too! Why should I get to live, but not you?

"Pete's already lost you once, and I saw what that did to him. I'm not letting that happen again!"

Jackie slowly nodded, and a single tear ran down her cheek.

"But hold on, I can't just abandon all of you," argued the original Doctor, staring at the dimension jumper in bewilderment.

"You won't, not really," said Martha. "When I was last in contact with UNIT, they said that you should be fine to make four more trips back or forth between the universes. You, Rose, and Rose's mum can all go over, but only one of you can come back. Bowties here seems to be you from your future, so I think the paradox has already decided who will make the two trips."

"Basically, you go and have the life you've never been able to have, go all domestic for a bit, you know, and then cross back over," Jack continued. "You're not going to be of any use here, so you might as well have a fantastic life with Rose. God knows you two deserve it. Then, in seventy or eighty years, you'll probably look like that," he indicated to the eleventh Doctor, "and you pop back over a few hours early, give Davros a vague prophecy to gather everyone here, and the paradox will be in place."

The Doctor looked torn, but knew that Jack was right.

"Go on, Spaceman," said Donna, a teary smile on her face. "Go and live a human life. Rose Tyler and the Doctor: reunited at last."

_11:00_

"We don't have time for any more sentiments," hurried Jack. "Go on, you three, Martha will do what she needs to."

Martha stood tall and saluted, a gesture that the Doctor reluctantly returned. Then, with a tug on the triggers of the teleport, she was gone.

"Go on," said Mickey, nodding to Jackie, Rose and the Doctor. "Can you pop some fresh flowers on Gran's grave for me? Lavender, if you can. It was her favourite."

Jackie nodded, and disappeared with a click of the yellow disk.

"Rose, you up to the trip?" the Doctor asked, to which she nodded weakly. She reluctantly unwound her hand from his so that he could grab both the dimension jumpers. He kissed her forehead, before looking up at those remaining behind.

"Thank you," he choked out, and clicked the dimension jumpers, taking him and Rose away from the impending doom.

_**Author's Note: Still not the end, guys! I've left you with plenty of unanswered questions to frustrate you to no end (or for you to forget about until I post again, whatever). What is going on with Rose? How will they cope in Pete's world, knowing what the future holds for the Doctor? Who did Mickey say to send his love to, if his Gran is already dead? Also, would the Doctor really allow Martha to use the Osterhagen Key? And how was Clara there when she was from the Doctor – and the Earth's future?**_

_**Don't worry, I've got it all planned out, with plenty of surprises in store. **Channelling my inner Moffat****_

_**As always, I absolutely love your reviews, they mean the universe to me and inspire me to keep writing!**_


	10. Chapter 10

They arrived in a large room with a blank wall on one end, a painfully familiar sight to both the Doctor and Rose. It was chaos: Torchwood personnel swarming everywhere, technical teams furiously tackling supercomputers, medical officers attempting to fuss over anyone and everyone, and armed guards positioned at every corner of the room as well as at the doors. In the centre of the room, Pete swept Jackie up in a desperate hug, the two reunited again. A team of medical personnel tried to approach the Doctor and Rose, but one glare from the Doctor was enough to keep them away.

A thought crossed the Doctor's mind. "Mickey said to pass on a message. Who was it to?"

"He had a family here," said Rose quietly. "Got married soon after he accompanied us to Norway. Adopted a couple of kids too, there were quite a few orphaned after the attack of the Cybermen."

"You'd think that working for an institution like Torchwood, they'd be able to access technology that would allow them to have their own kids," the Doctor contemplate.

"They're not miracle makers," said Rose. "They've been able to help out a few employees, but we still haven't found the technology to do something that difficult yet,"

"Hmm, shame," said the Doctor. "Not that there's anything wrong with adopting, in fact it's quite a brilliant system, but a lot of people would rather their own genes were passed on. Basic animal instinct that you lot still haven't fully shed from your days swinging from trees."

This earned him a weak smack from Rose, who poked her tongue out defiantly. The Doctor grinned, glad that she seemed to be regaining her strength, before becoming serious again.

"His poor family... I should probably be the one to pass on the message, seeing as me being here means that he isn't." the Doctor deliberated. "Mickey's wife, what was her name?"

Rose shook her head. "Not hers, _his_," she corrected.

"Really?" the Doctor started, genuinely surprised.

"I know, I never would have picked it either," said Rose. "Still, he was happy, and that's all that mattered."

"So anyway, what was Mickey's husband's name, then?"

Rose was about to answer, when the doors flung open and a Torchwood employee with spiky blonde hair rushed in, an anxious look on his face.

"You're back! Jackie! Rose! Oh, hey Doctor... where's Mickey? Why isn't he with you? What's goin' on?" he spun around, scanning the room in vain.

Jackie bit her lip, holding back tears, before shaking her head.

"What? No... No! He's gotta be with you, he can't... No!" he was becoming panicked, and some Torchwood security guards stepped forwards in case restraint was needed.

"Not all of us could cross back over," said Rose. "I'm sorry, Jake."

"Ye'r lyin', he can't be, ye'r lyin'!" the guards moved in to restrain him as he shouted and thrashed, lashing out at whatever was nearest. Rose and Jackie watched as silent tears poured down their cheeks, while the Doctor's expression was grim, knowing only too well how Jake felt.

Finally, after several minutes of agonising struggle, Jake gave up, and slumped to the floor in despair, his knees curled in as he rocked back and forth like a madman. The tears that flowed freely down his face looked so out of place on a person accustomed to cracking a smile, while his lips silently repeated his lost love's name over and over like an ancient mantra.

Rose struggled to her feet and cautiously approached Jake. "He said to tell you that he loves you," she passed on, crouching down so that she was even with Jake.

He looked her dead in the eye, desperation and despair flowing faster than the unrestricted tears. "Isn't there any way to get him back?" he pleaded.

"I'm so, so sorry, but you can't. Only one more trip can be made before the cracks in the fabric of reality become too unstable, which would cause the universes to collapse..." the Doctor trailed off, realising that his explanation was falling on deaf ears. Instead, Jake continued to stare at Rose, all of his hope resting on the girl whom he practically considered a sister.

Because there was something she could do. As the energy inside her simmered and churned, roaring to be unleashed, her irises glowed with flecks of gold. The laws of physics and the laws of time stood no chance against the Bad Wolf.


End file.
